A. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a rotatable vise for holding small objects. It is particularly useful for holding fishhooks while tying artificial flies and other lures. The use of artificial flies for fish lures apparently dates back centuries. Essentially, fishermen like to prepare their own flies by using various threads, feathers and the like, sometimes called dressing. The construction of flies plays an integral part in the fly fishing sport. This is true since a variety of fish, such as trout, will vary their feeding patterns and require a fisherman to design an artificial fly to suit the appetite of the fish. A basic and essential need in the process of fly construction is the ability to hold the hook in a rigid and specifically desired position while applying the dressing.
B. Pertinent Art:
Attention is called to the U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,869,857 (Meyers); 2,489,547 (Temple); 4,119,305 (Anderson); 4,322,065 (Doiron); 4,375,284 (Doiron); 4,508,328 (Kujma); 4,544,145 (Norlander); 4,964,636 (Gautam).
C. Setting of the Invention:
One of the difficulties in designing a good fly tying vise lies in the ability of the vise to rigidly hold a hook in a desired position while the dressing is being applied. Until one studies the requirements which must be met, it would seem that a fly-tying vise would be an easy piece of equipment to design. This is not so, and is well attested to by the variety of vise designs available for the professional or recreational fly-tier.
A second problem in designing a fly tying vise is ease of use. Generally, a fisherman or other user would be required to use both hands when clamping the hook into its place for dressing. He would use one hand to hold the hook precisely in the desired orientation and use the other hand to operate the clamping action of the vise to grasp the hook. Unfortunately conventional clamping methods do not function optimally when only one hand is available as in the fly tying situation. When conventional clamping mechanisms for fly tying are operated with one hand, the action is imprecise and awkward.
These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.
D. Objects of the Invention:
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rotatable vise.
A further object is to provide a vise which opens and closes its jaws by means of a rotating hub.
Still another object is to provide a vise which a user can single-handedly provide a torque to a fishhook shaft or open and close the jaws of the vise, with precision, ease, and predictability.
Another object is to provide a well crafted rotatable vise which will allow adjustments in all modes of motion.
A further object is to provide a means for tying a fishing fly.
A still further object is to provide a pair of jaws which will securely hold fishing hooks of a wide range of size.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.
E. Summary of the Invention:
This invention is a rotatable vise for holding small objects. The vise comprises a mounting means for attaching the vise to a fixed support, such as a bench top. A body is attached to the mounting means. A freely rotatable sleeve or spindle is mounted in the body with said sleeve having a longitudinal axis about which the sleeve is rotatable. A rotator or rotatable hub is rotatably mounted on one end of the rotatable sleeve and adjacent to the body. The hub is fixed to a draw bar rotatably mounted in the rotatable sleeve so that when the hub is rotated, the draw bar will also rotate. The rotator is normally a hub with a crank handle near its periphery. A sleeve engagement means is associated with the rotatable sleeve and comprises a fixed pin mounted on the body. When the pin is screwed inward, the pin engages a detent in the rotatable sleeve so that the rotatable sleeve will not rotate in the body. When the fixed pin is screwed outward, the sleeve and hub will rotate in the same direction as if they were locked together. As will be described below, however, they are not locked actually together.
The rotator is actually locked to a draw bar, which is mounted in the sleeve for rotation about the axis of the sleeve. Also mounted in the sleeve at the end of the sleeve opposite the rotator is the object clamping means. The object clamping means is mounted in the sleeve for axial movement relative to the sleeve, but not rotation relative to the sleeve. The object clamping means has a gripper, a first actuating surface, and a draw element. The gripper is adapted to selectively firmly hold the work piece, e.g., a fish hook. The actuating surface cooperates with a second actuating surface on the sleeve to actuate the gripper. The draw element is threadedly attached to the draw bar so that relative rotation between the draw bar and the draw element causes axial movement of the gripper, and thereby actuation of the gripper. This action imparts a rotational torque to the sleeve which may or may not rotate depending on the position of the pin.